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I was searching the web for recipes that used kimchi and I found several for Kimchi Jjigae or kimchi stew. The main recipes that I found were for pork and kimchi stew. I saw some variations of this dish that replaced the pork with canned tuna (which sounds good) and and some that used tofu in addition to the pork. Many of the recipes called for gochujang which is a spicy Korean condiment made of fermented soy beans, rice and chili powder. Keep in mind that both the kimchi and the gochujang are spiced with chili powder so be careful with the amounts that you use if you do not like it really hot. This stew was pretty easy to make and it was really tasty. I have really enjoyed the few Korean dishes that I have tried so far. I am going to have to start looking for a Korean cookbook.

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan.
2. Add the pork and saute until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the kimchi and water bring to a boil.
5. Mix in the gochujang and gochugaru and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add the tofu, onion, zucchini and chilies and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and add the green onions.

Pork belly (sam gyub sal as mentioned above) is a must. Render the fat out of it, add the garlic and ginger and gochujang (I add a bit more than 1Tbsp for added richness) and the kimchi, and then I top off with kimchi juice and Dashida (the common Korean beef stock from powder)... towards the end of cooking I add some rice cake slices, a tiny bit of soy sauce, then add the tofu in chunks, green onions, and spicy Korean green chili slices at the end, cook just til the tofu is done, and then add sesame seed oil. Pretty similar to Kevin's, but with the different stock as I prefer to keep my kimchi jjigae all-meat.

Kevin, I love the fact that you make Korean food, but I have to tell you that you should probably reconsider adding gochujang to kimchi jjigae. I say this b/c I learned how to make kimchi jjigae from a real Korean grandmother (I'm Korean American). If you want to make it really authentic, you should add "gochu-kkaru" (which is the red pepper flakes) instead of gochujang; that is what Koreans use to make it spicier. Gochujang is a marinade that generally goes into other stews, daeji bulgogi, etc. but usually never in kimchi jjigae.

Also, you should probably cook the pork and kimchi at the same time so that the kimchi retains its integrity (meaning, retains the juices). The pork fat will flavor and cook the kimchee nicely. If you just add water and boil the kimchi instead of cooking it first, it saps the kimchi of all its juices so that it turns white. You want your kimchi to look cooked, not blanched.

I love your blog and I support your culinary endeavors! Keep up the good work!

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.